Marrakesh
Ziyara of the Seven Saints
This is a tour of the Seven Saints of Marrakesh. We conduct this tour on a suggested donation basis. If money is tight please mention this and we will waive the entire fee. Otherwise, our suggested donation is £50/€60 for the tour of all seven maqams. We can also arrange to visit just a few of the maqams, in which case the suggested donation is roughly proportional to the number of maqams visited.
For students of Sacred Knowledge (tullab al 'ilm) and for newlyweds, we offer the ziyara tour free of charge, as an encouragement to anyone partaking of these two great endeavors.
A few tips:
- Bring plenty of spare change, 1 and 5 dh pieces. There will be ample opportunity to distribute these to the caretakers of the maqams, the donation boxes, and poor people that congregate near the maqams.
- Photography is not permitted inside the maqams, but you are welcome to take pictures of the outside.
- It's not mandatory to wear hijab to the maqams, it's more of a "come as you are" sentiment. However, anyone who does not look muslim will be questioned by the caretakers, as only muslims are allowed inside the maqams.
Atlas mountain day trip:
We drive up to the Atlas mountains (about 1 to 1.5 hours). Then we go for a hike/trek suitable to the fitness level of the participants, which could mean anything from a 1 hour walk, to a 3 hour hike up the mountain. After that we settle in for a nice berber lunch, some tea and a chance to enjoy the view. The day trip is usually from 9am to 5pm. The price is £100/€120 and it includes: transportation, driver/guide and lunch.
A few tips: Bring good shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Marrakesh sun is a welcome change from dreary English weather, but proper precautions must nontheless be taken.
Fez
In Fez we work with a wonderful young man named Si Mohamed. He is from a sherif family and was raised among the awliya of Fez, both the living and the dead.
Si Mohamed is a great guide to the maqams and holy places of Fez. He is also good at navigating the medina of Fez, shopping trips, etc.
For those wishing to visit Moulay Abd es Salam ibn Mashish, whose grave is a few hours north of Fez, Si Mohamed can organize the trip and accompany you on it.
Although Si Mohamed is happy to work for free (for Allah's sake), we suggest a donation of 500 per day for his time.